The Final Barrier
by SilverMarine
Summary: When the angels find a way for Lyra to enter Will's world, Lyra thinks that they can continue where they left off. But there's one problem...Will is married to someone else! New chapter FINALLY up!
1. Prologue

A/n Before you read this, let it be known that I (unfortunately) do not own Lyra, Will, Mary Malone, Pantalaimon, Kirjava, and everyone. The only people I own are Sarika and Emily. As well, I know that most people are looking for funny HDM fics, but I am not good at making funny fics, so this is the best thing I can come up with.  
  
It is ten years after Will and Lyra said goodbye in the Botanic Garden. Lyra joined Dame Hannah's boarding school, where she learned all the scientific things about Dust, and where she studied the alethiometer in her spare time. She met many girls at the school, and became quite good friends with Sarika Spires and her daemon, Kylona. When Lyra turned eighteen, she joined Dame Hannah's college, St. Sophia's, on a scholarship to study the alethiometer full-time. By the time Lyra was twenty-one, she could read the alethiometer with only a little help from the books, and now, at age twenty-three, she can answer a short question in ten to fifteen minutes and a more complicated one in about half an hour. She has graduated from the college and now lives near Jordan College with Sarika.  
  
Will went to live with Mary Malone and her daemon, Temiral, in a flat near a large secondary school. He made many good friends at the school, although some people avoided him because of his mutilated left hand. Mary took a job at a nearby college, teaching students about Dust and what Lyra would call experimental theology. Mary earned enough money to get Will's mother medical care, but it wasn't enough, and when Will was sixteen, she died. Will sank into a depression for nearly four months, but the prospect of learning to drive brought him out of it. (A/N That is a very lame excuse for coming out of a depression, esp. for Will, but it's the best I can come up with () When Will turned eighteen, he went to university, where he studied architecture. While there, he met Emily McArthur, who was studying anthropology, and they began to date, although Will never felt the same way about her as he did Lyra. At age twenty-three, Will asked Emily to marry him, and she accepted. They moved into an apartment about fifteen minutes away from Mary, if you walked, and preparations for the wedding are in progress. 


	2. The Barrier is Planned

Chapter 1: The Barrier is Planned  
  
(A/N Don't own anyone but Sarika, her daemon, and Emily. And all the unnamed daemons' names. I meant to post this about a week ago, but.I didn't. This chapter also really sucks and was much better when I made it up a week ago, but I forgot it. It's all dialogue and not much happens, but it's kind of crucial.)  
  
At about four o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon in late May, if one living on Rosebud Avenue, Oxford, had chanced to glance out their window at the left-hand side of the street, they would have seen a man in his early twenties walking down the sidewalk. He was wearing a pair of faded black jeans and a blue denim work shirt, and slung over his right shoulder was a leather jacket. If the person looking out the window had X-ray vision and could see right through the man to his left hand, they'd have seen that his ring and little finger were both missing. At his side, unseen to anyone, was a large cat in all shades of black and purple.  
  
The man walked into the building and bounded up the stairs two at a time, ignoring the elevator. As he approached Flat 508, he reached into his pocket for his key ring, searching for a specific one. He unlocked and opened the door and stepped inside, looking around for Mary.  
  
Dr. Mary Malone walked out of the kitchen, her Alpine chough daemon, Temiral, fluttering behind her. "Will! This is certainly a surprise! I didn't expect you to visit until tomorrow."  
  
"Something came up," Will replied with a shrug. "Is this a bad time?"  
  
"Oh, no, not at all. I was just making tea. Do you want some?"  
  
Will nodded and sat down on the sofa, looking around. He'd only moved out a few months ago, and the flat hadn't changed at all. The TV was still in an awkward position to the couch, the stereo was still in the kitchen, and the tops of tables and shelves were dusty. He smiled at that - he always had to remind Mary to dust the place. The flat was laid out simply - the living room/dining room was what you entered into when you came in. The kitchen was just behind the dining room, and the only things separating it from the living room were two rows of counters set at a 90-degree angle to each other. Past the kitchen was the hall, which opened onto the bathroom, Mary's bedroom, and the room that had been Will's.  
  
Mary returned with a tray carrying two cups and saucers, a bowl of sugar and a little jug of milk, as well as a teapot. She set it down and sat across from him.  
  
"So have you and Emily set a date yet?"  
  
Will shook his head. "No. We're trying, but everything that one of us suggests isn't good for the other. June is a bad month to marry in, but Emily has wanted a June wedding for years."  
  
Mary was about to say something when the phone in the kitchen rang loudly. Jumping up to get it, Mary nearly spilled her tea, and Will had to dive across the table to catch it.  
  
"Hello? Yes - just a moment, please.Will, it's for you!" Mary whispered, covering the mouthpiece.  
  
Will frowned and stood up, walking into the kitchen and taking the phone from Mary. Who could it be? Everyone knew he'd moved out, and Mary hadn't mentioned any other calls for him before. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Will! It's me! I have the perfect date!" The cheery voice on the other end of the phone belonged to his fiancée, Emily McArthur.  
  
"Date? What da - oh, for the wedding! What is it?"  
  
"June twenty-first! You know, what old-fashioned people call Midsummer's Day! Don't you think that would be neat? So romantic!"  
  
Will's heart began to sink. That was his day to go to the Botanic Garden! What would Lyra think if he wasn't there? He knew from experience that if you concentrated really hard, you could feel the faintest presence of the other person, and if Lyra couldn't feel that presence, she'd think he'd ditched her. He couldn't do that to her, even though he hadn't seen her in ten years. She was still his first, and strongest, love, and not even Emily knew about her. He'd tried to tell her once, when she asked why he was missing two fingers, but when he'd started, she'd laughed and told him to quit making things up.  
  
"Will? You there?" Emily asked, sounded worried.  
  
"Oh.yeah, I'm here."  
  
"Don't you like that? It's perfect!"  
  
"Oh.well, can't we have it the day after?"  
  
"Why would we do that? Midsummer's Day is good, and the day after would just.I don't know, be wrong! Besides, you know we won't come up with anything else that works out."  
  
"Well.all right." Will said, thinking that perhaps he could make it so that the wedding was after noon, after his hour with Lyra.  
  
"I was thinking that we could have the wedding in the morning, then make the reception a luncheon! The guests would have lunch and then.do whatever you do at a reception, be sociable, I guess. It's all working out so perfectly! I can't believe we never thought of it before!"  
  
Will's heart hit rock bottom. 


	3. Lyra Meets The Barrier

Chapter 2: Lyra Meets The Barrier  
  
(A/N Don't own anyone but Emily and Sarika. You've heard this before. Sorry for the long absence, I'm working on another fic right now.)  
  
Lyra Silvertongue, graduate of St. Sophia's college and reader of the alethiometer, opened the door to the flat she shared with Sarika, her best friend, and flopped down into a chair, feeling bone-tired. She'd been reading the alethiometer all day as part of the small truth-telling business she had set up, and she was exhausted. Her pine marten daemon, Pantalaimon, flowed up the chair beside her.  
  
"Look on the bright side, Lyra. Tomorrow's Midsummer's Day, and it's when we spend an hour in the Botanic Garden with Will and Kirjava. You have to be happy about that."  
  
Lyra nodded. "I am happy. It's just that, I never thought reading the alethiometer like this would make me so tired. It used to be so easy before!"  
  
"You've said that hundreds of times, and we both knew when we decided to keep doing it that it would be hard. Just think of tomorrow."  
  
As Lyra was about to respond, the door opened again and Sarika and her sparrow daemon, Kylona, came in. Sarika took one look at Lyra's tired face and grinned. "At the books again, Lyra?"  
  
Lyra sighed. "Of course."  
  
Sarika told Lyra pretty much the same thing as Pan had, to lighten up. Unlike Emily, Sarika knew about Lyra's adventures, as Lyra's world had been hit far worse than Will's by the changes.  
  
That night, Lyra lay in bed, with a tired smile on her face. Only a few more hours before her time in the Garden with Will.in a way.  
  
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Will stood at the altar under an arch of flowers. The day of his wedding to Emily had come, and he was a nervous wreck. Not just because he was getting married, but because he was worried he wouldn't make the garden. He planned to slip away from the reception for at least half an hour, so he could be with Lyra for a while, but he wasn't sure if he'd make it.  
  
Emily appeared out of nowhere and started down the long aisle. Will jolted back to reality. He looked at the bridesmaids, surprised that they'd already come down the aisle. The organ was playing, and Will surreptitiously wiped his sweaty hands on his tuxedo.  
  
Emily made it to the altar, a huge smile on her face, and the minister began the vows. The wedding went smoothly, and as Will and Emily started back down the aisle, Will carefully glanced at the watch he'd hid under his sleeve. Eleven-fifteen.  
  
Spying Mary in the front row, he hoped she remembered the plan. Just to be sure, he sent Kirjava, who was trotting calmly at his side, to talk to her daemon, Temiral. The two daemons conversed for a few minutes, and then Kirjava hurried back to him. She informed him that Mary remembered what to do, and Will stepped into the limo that would take them to the reception hall, only a little more content than before.  
  
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Lyra sat on the bench in the garden, eyes closed, feeling the sun on her face. A clock tower nearby tolled the noon hour, and she waited to feel Will's comforting presence. Concentrating hard, she sat in silence, hearing only the faintest rustle of leaves and feet walking along the paths, paying no attention to the woman on the bench.  
  
Lyra waited fifteen minutes, but didn't feel Will. Perhaps he was a little late, she concluded, and sat contently, still searching for his presence. Ten minutes later, he still wasn't there. Twenty minutes after that, no Will. Lyra waited the entire hour, but Will never came.  
  
Finally opening her eyes, Lyra winced at the sun in her eyes, but didn't pay it much attention. Will had forgotten to come! In ten years, neither of them had missed a meeting with the other. Ever. And now he had forgotten. He had snubbed her.  
  
Getting up, Lyra stormed angrily out of the garden, Pan stalking just as furiously on her heels.  
  
(A/N So.the plot thickens. R/R and I'll continue with it. What happened to Will? What will Lyra think of him? Tune in next time!) 


	4. Angel's Visit

Chapter 3: Angel's Visit  
  
Will lay in bed that night, listening to Emily's heavy breathing beside him and mentally hitting himself in the head. He'd tried throughout the whole reception to escape for an hour, but wherever he turned, someone was always there to congratulate him or want him to make a toast. Emily following him like a lost puppy hadn't helped either. Mary had tried to create a diversion, but it had gone unnoticed, and Will had missed his entire hour. He wondered how Lyra had felt. Probably horrible. And there was no way to make it up to her.  
  
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At the exact same time, in an Oxford very much like Will's, Lyra was also lying awake. Her fury still hadn't cooled down, despite Sarika's attempts to cheer her up. She still couldn't understand where Will had been. She couldn't imagine anything too important that could keep him from coming. She certainly had given up many special things over the years in order to make that noon hour meeting.  
  
Lyra rolled over, shutting her eyes tightly and trying to fall asleep, but sleep wouldn't come. She flipped onto her back again and sighed.  
  
A glow near her window caught her attention. Sitting up, she watched the glow grow and solidify into a female angel. Impossibly tall and beautiful, the angel smiled at Lyra.  
  
"You have grown since I last saw you, Lyra. I have come to give you important news."  
  
Lyra recognized her. This was Xaphania, the angel she had met so long ago. "What is it?"  
  
"You remember that we said we would close all the windows that were made over the years, even those not made by the subtle knife?"  
  
Lyra nodded. How could she forget?  
  
"I and some others of my kind have been searching for and closing windows here in your Oxford. We found one, directly above a clock tower, that was not made by the subtle knife, and therefore does not leak Dust. Although we said we would close all the windows, and that you were not to look for one, I saw this one and thought of how you and Will were forced to part so long ago. You know you cannot live in his world, and he cannot live in yours, but this at least enables you to see him again."  
  
Lyra sat straight up in bed, her earlier anger completely forgotten. "I could.I could see Will again?"  
  
Xaphania nodded. "But I must warn you, Lyra, that things will not be the same for either of you. They cannot be."  
  
Lyra shrugged this off. "Of course not. We've both grown older, haven't we? Things are bound to have changed."  
  
Xaphania shook her head sadly. She wanted to tell Lyra why things had changed more than Lyra could ever dream, but she could not. Lyra must find out for herself. "If you wish to find this window, Lyra, it is atop the clock tower near the Botanic Garden. It is very dangerous to reach."  
  
Lyra shrugged again. "Whatever it takes. I will see Will again."  
  
Xaphania nodded sadly. "As I knew you would. Goodbye, Lyra. Perhaps we will meet again." The angel vanished.  
  
A/N Next chapter up soon.if you R/R! 


	5. Climbing the Clock Tower

Chapter 4: Climbing the Clock Tower  
  
A/N Wow. . .I got 7 reviews for that one chapter, and 3 in one day! Don't own anybody but Sarika, Emily, and the names for the nameless daemons.  
  
Lyra lay in bed for about five minutes after Xaphania had departed, trying to make herself wait until morning before she went to the clock tower, but her excitement was too great. Tossing back the covers, she rolled out of bed. Pan looked at her, blinking.  
  
"This is foolish, Lyra. You won't be able to see a thing in the dark, and you know that the stairs stop many feet below the top of the clock tower. You'll fall and we'll die."  
  
Lyra sighed. "I know it's foolish, Pan, but I can't wait. You want to see them again as much as I do!"  
  
Pan gave up trying to be the voice of reason. He knew that nothing would sway Lyra once she had her mind set, and he had to admit she was right.  
  
That settled the matter in Lyra's mind. Standing, she swiftly changed into warm clothes and headed for the clock tower.  
  
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Half an hour later, Lyra stood at the top of the stairs to the clock tower, which opened onto a balcony surrounding the whole thing. The very peak of the tower was several yards above her head.  
  
Pan stood on the railing, leaning back as far as he dared to see the peak. "It's too high, Lyra! We can't make it!"  
  
"Pan, this is far less dangerous than some things we've done before. Stop being a chicken." With that, Lyra gripped the bricks in both hands and began to climb. In the old days of climbing roofs at Jordan College, this would have been almost nothing to Lyra, but she hadn't climbed a roof since coming back from her adventures, and that had been ten years ago. She still remembered some things, like to keep her body close to the wall.  
  
Lyra struggled up the first few metres, and then reached the bottom of the clock face. The numbers were large and brass, screwed into the white face, and the brass hands pointed to 5:05. The eastern sky was growing pink, and the city was beginning to stir. She'd have to make this fast, before anyone saw her and reported the crazy lady to the police.  
  
Climbing the clock face was a bit easier. Setting her foot inside the 6, she reached up, straining to grab the circle in the middle that held the hands. Grasping it tightly, she tried to pull herself up, her legs flailing for more holds. Pan sat on her shoulder, gripping it in his claws. Lyra's foot caught on the 5 and she reached for the minute hand, which was approaching the 3. Pulling herself onto that, she climbed onto the 2, and then the 1, and finally was standing on the raised edge of the face. Now all she had to do was get to the peak, and the window would be there.  
  
The roof was easier to climb, being as it was sloped. She made quick work of that, and then finally stood on the very top. The streets below were beginning to fill with people on their way to work, and the sun was clearing the horizon. She walked all around the peak, looking for the window, but couldn't see anything. Finally, she looked up, and saw it hovering above her head. Carefully, she tried grasping the edges with her fingers, and jumped. Pan flowed over her head inside and dropped to an identical peak below, with Lyra awkwardly following. Within seconds, they sat on the rooftop in Will's Oxford.  
  
"Now all we have to do is get down!" Lyra said, frowning. It took a while, but finally the woman and daemon stood on the balcony once more. Without a word, they took off down the stairs and into the city, the mission of finding Will clear in their minds.  
  
A/N Yet another cliff-hanger. . .how will Lyra find Will? Does he know that she's coming? And what will her reaction to Emily be? 


	6. The Barrier's Appearance

Chapter 5: Finding Mary  
  
A/N: Disclaimer, disclaimer. . .don't own anyone. Yes, I am finally updating! To all the reviewers who said Emily is a ditz, or is getting the wrong impression on her, that's the point! You're not supposed to like her! She was supposed to be a bit smarter and a bit more appealing to readers, but character development didn't turn out that way. I myself am an avid W/L fan!  
  
At this time, Will was lying asleep in the apartment he shared with Emily. He'd finally managed to fall asleep at 3:30 am, and was still out cold, but thankfully, today was a Saturday and he didn't have any classes. Emily did, and had left around 6.  
  
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"Pan?" Lyra whispered. "How on earth are we going to find Will in the city? I don't know where he lives or where Dr. Malone lives. . .do you think he is still staying with her?"  
  
"Ask the alethiometer, silly. Why don't you ever think of these things?"  
  
Lyra hadn't thought of the alethiometer. It was sitting, wrapped in black velvet, in her rucksack (a different one from before). She quickly took off for the Botanic Garden for a comfortable place to sit, found a bench, and sat on it, tucking her hair behind her ears and bending over the alethiometer. She set the hands, a little slower than she once could, and waited for the message to come into her mind. Where can I find Will or Dr. Malone?  
  
The alethiometer answered, but it took Lyra a few minutes to understand what it meant. Finally she had it. Left twice and round a bend, up five stories and down eight doors will you find Dr. Mary Malone. Will is found minutes away.  
  
Nothing else came. Lyra couldn't tell from this where Will was, and she had a feeling that the alethiometer was playing a trick on her, as it seemed to do sometimes. Still, she followed its directions to Dr. Malone's flat, getting lost a few times, but finally she stood at Flat 508. Rapping a little shyly on the door, she waited until Dr. Malone opened it.  
  
"May I help you?" Mary said curiously, looking for a clipboard or a box, something that would give this woman away as a canvasser or a delivery lady.  
  
"Dr. Malone?" Lyra said in barely more than a whisper.  
  
"Yes, that's me. What is it - oh my God," Mary exclaimed, suddenly recognizing the voice and the pine marten peering over the woman's shoulder. "God be praised. . .Lyra? No, it can't possibly be you - "  
  
"Yes," Lyra cut her off in midsentence. "It's Lyra, and Pantalaimon. We've come to see Will."  
  
Mary could hardly believe it. Ushering Pan and Lyra inside while rubbing her temples to make sure she wasn't hallucinating, she sat them down and bade them tell the story. Lyra explained it all, from yesterday in the garden to climbing the tower to now. When it was all over, Mary leaned back on the couch with a thump. "Dear Lord. . .this is not good. Lyra, there's something I have to tell you - "  
  
Lyra cut her off again. "I know, I know, things won't be the same. Xaphania told me that too. But I know what I'm doing, and I will find him, no matter what's different."  
  
Mary groaned, but Lyra was a stubborn person, and she knew Lyra would refuse to hear what it was. She had a feeling that deep down, Lyra already knew, but was not accepting it.  
  
Mary gave Lyra directions to Will's flat, leaving out the fact that it was now Will and Emily's flat. Lyra took them, thanked Mary and said she'd be by to visit soon, and then quickly left, taking the stairs rather than the elevator. Mary peered out of her window and saw Lyra jogging swiftly down the road, Pan keeping pace with her easily. Sighing, Mary turned and leaned against the wall. "The poor child," she whispered, not caring that Lyra was twenty-three now. "She'll just have to find out on her own."  
  
A/N: I was going to write more, but I'm lazy and don't feel like it right now. R/R and more is to come! 


	7. Troubling Thoughts

Chapter Six: Troubling Thoughts  
  
A/N: Yay, an update! And finally, the answer to the evil cliffy! Hehehe. . .as usual, don't own anyone except Emily, Sarika, and the names for the unnamed daemons. Oh, and in this chapter, Lyra and Pan probably seem a bit distant from each other, and not like they're the same person, but I haven't actually read HDM in a long time, so I've somewhat forgotten how daemons are.  
  
Lyra jogged down the road, legs still as strong and quick as they had been ten years ago. Her eyes saw the sidewalk in front of her, and the everyday people absentmindedly moving out of her way, but her mind saw Will, only Will. She felt, in her heart, Pan's identical feelings, for Kirjava.  
  
As Lyra jogged, she felt an uneasy feeling growing in her stomach. Nervousness, perhaps? But why would she be nervous at seeing Will again? Shaking her head to clear those thoughts away, she slowed to a walk. A tiny voice inside her head laughed, a tinny little sound. You can't possibly be expecting things to be the same, Lyra. You know they've changed - you just can't accept it.  
  
Be quiet, Lyra told the voice furiously. I've accepted it - I told Xaphania so! It's been ten years, so of course some things will have changed.  
  
But, perhaps they've changed more that you're willing to comprehend, the voice said in an evil, but wise tone. Angrily, Lyra slammed a mental wall between her conscious and the voice. Of course they've changed. I've accepted that. I HAVE!  
  
Pan, at the same time, was going through a similar experience, but, being Lyra's calmer, more rational side, he treated the voice differently. Rather than yell at it, he tried to reason with the voice, which was rather stupid, since he was only reasoning with himself. Even so, both Lyra and her daemon arrived at Will's flat in uneasy moods.  
  
At this point, Will was sitting on his couch, feet propped up on the coffee table, idly watching a rerun of Friends that he'd seen about six times, and sipping the vile herbal tea that Emily made him drink. He preferred coffee, but his wife the health nut didn't buy it, and somehow, if he bought it, she'd manage to find it and give it away.  
  
As Monica and Phoebe dashed down into their apartment's basement searching for Ross's lost monkey, the doorbell rang, shakily, as if whoever was ringing it didn't know quite how it worked. This was followed by a series of chimes, as the ringer eagerly pressed the button again and again to see if she could figure out how it worked. Muting the TV, Will stood up and walked over to the door, calling over the din that he was coming.  
  
He pulled open the door, to find a tall woman with golden blonde hair about to ring the bell again. A reddish pine marten peered over her shoulder, clearly very fascinated. Will, however, just about fainted. Unlike Mary, he instantly recognized the person at the door.  
  
"Lyra?" He barely managed to voice the words. "Is. . .that you?"  
  
A/N *giggles evilly* You know, I was going to continue with that chapter, but I prefer to leave it at the most suspending cliffy yet. R/R and you'll find out what happens next! 


	8. Running Headlong

Chapter 7: Running Headlong  
  
A/N YAY an update to the evil cliffy! This is a nice, long chapter that really gets into the plot, so I hope you all enjoy it! R/R!  
  
Lyra jumped as the door opened, finger poised over the funny little button that made the dinging sound. Pan, who was as interested as she, jumped too, nearly falling off her shoulder. Lyra grabbed her daemon, at the instant that Will stuttered out, "Lyra? Is. . .that you?"  
  
Lyra looked at Will, really looked. He was as handsome as she remembered; tall and strong with the same black hair and jutting chin. Kirjava was behind him, peering around his right leg.  
  
For a moment, Lyra could say nothing, as her feelings of anxiety and wonder heightened to incredible levels. Now that she was actually here, standing before Will's door, seeing Will in person for the first time in over ten years, she could hardly believe it was real. Finally, she choked out, "Yes, Will. It's me, Lyra." In the background, sounds of yelling issued from the television as Phoebe jumped in front of a tranquilizer gun to protect Ross' monkey.  
  
"Oh my God," Will muttered, completely tuning out the TV. "Lyra, how the hell did you get here? Why are you here?"  
  
Lyra didn't answer for a moment, as her attention shifted to the television. "What . . .what's that box, with the moving pictures?"  
  
Will glanced behind him. "Oh, that's a television. It's . . .something we use for entertainment. Why don't you, uh, come inside?" He stepped away from the door to allow her to enter, still shaking his head and feeling like he was hallucinating. Lyra walked swiftly by him, and sat carefully on the couch, watching the TV in fascination.  
  
"D'you want a Coke or anything?" Will asked nervously, and then remembered they didn't have any Coke, only decaffeinated pops like Orange Crush.  
  
Lyra, remembering what Coke was, twisted around to peer into the kitchen. "Coke? That's the fizzy drink with the bubbles, right? The one with the tab that you have to pop up to open?"  
  
Will nodded. "That's the one. We - I mean, I - don't have any Cokes, but we - crap, I - have some Orange Crush. It's still fizzy, but it tastes like oranges." He handed her the can. After a few moments of fiddling with the tab, she figured out how to open it, and began to sip gingerly. "Mmm! That's good!"  
  
Will took a Crush for himself and sat down beside her. They both drank in silence for a few moments, before Will asked shyly, "Um, Lyra? How exactly did you get here?"  
  
Lyra looked at him, and then, without a moment's hesitation, launched into her story, beginning at when she had waited for him in the Gardens. As she finished that portion of the story, she frowned and stopped in mid- sentence. "Why weren't you at the Gardens that day, Will? I waited for over an hour."  
  
In the split second of silence that followed, Will was torn. Should he tell her about Emily? Perhaps she knew already . . .no, knowing Lyra, she would have said something. But . . .he didn't want to spoil this amazing moment of joy that he could see her again. Finally, he said, "Oh, I had to attend something else. A wedding, very important." There, it wasn't a lie. He'd just left parts out, that was all.  
  
Lyra frowned, and then nodded slowly. "Okay then . . .well, anyway - " and she continued with her story, ending with when she had knocked on his door. When she finished, Will leaned back, tilting his head towards the ceiling and closing his eyes. He couldn't believe it. Xaphania had found a window, so close to them . . .they'd only been an hour's travel away from each other, for all those years. So close, and yet so far away.  
  
Lyra was thinking the same thing, but finally, she turned to Will and said, "Oh, Will, it'll all work out now! The window's real close - we can just go back and forth between the worlds, and it won't make us sick. And since the window isn't made with the knife, it can stay open forever, and ever!" Full of joy that her dreams, her longing, had finally come true, she laughed with mirth.  
  
Will wasn't so happy. The prospect was wonderful, and there was nothing he wanted more than to do simply that, but there was a problem.  
  
And at that moment, the problem presented itself to the world. The door opened, a foot stepped in, and a clear voice called out, "Will, dear! I'm home!"  
  
A/N Yay another cliffy to keep everyone guessing! R/R, and we'll see Lyra's reaction to Emily, and vice-versa. 


	9. Lyra, Emily, and Will

Chapter 8: Lyra, Emily, and Will  
  
A/N Ooh, an update. Lyra and Emily finally come face-to-face, and this chapter will hopefully be a bit longer and sans-cliffy. Same old disclaimer, don't own anyone but Emily and Sarika.  
  
Lyra spun around, Pan nearly falling off her shoulder, as Emily entered the flat and hung up her coat on the stand. The woman didn't turn, and thus didn't see the strange blonde standing next to her husband. "I am so tired, I had the craziest day. Y'know that one professor I have, Professor Spitzner? He is such a jerk, he actually gave me a seventy-two on that paper I did! You know how hard I worked on. . .that. . ." For Emily had just turned around and had seen an unknown woman with blonde hair and a weasel sitting on her shoulder standing next to Will. "Uh. . .Will, is this a friend of yours?"  
  
Will glanced at Lyra and then back at his surprised wife. Lyra wasn't saying anything, only staring at Emily as the pieces fell into place. In reply to Emily's query, Will replied, after a moment, "Yeah, I guess she is. Well, actually, she's an. . .old girlfriend of mine that I ran into on the street today. I haven't seen her since the tenth year and we decided to, you know, catch up."  
  
Lyra stared at Will and was about to ask what a girlfriend was when Emily replied, in a condescending voice as if she was talking to a small child, "Oh, well that's nice, isn't it? I'm Emily Parry, Will's wife. What's your name?" She smiled and put out her left hand. The wedding band on her third finger was impossible to miss.  
  
Lyra glanced at the hand and carefully put hers out, saying slowly, "Lyra Silvertongue." She left it at that, shaking Emily's hand quickly and then pulling away and shoving her own hands in her pockets. It took a great deal of effort not to wipe her hand on her skirt. So that's what Xaphania meant about how things have changed, and why Mary was so uncomfortable. . .I know Will and I agreed that we could marry someone else, but why didn't they tell me? Why didn't Will tell me? I was all excited, because it seemed like everything would work out, and now it's wrecked. She glanced at Will meaningfully, trying to tell him with her eyes that she was upset and angry that she hadn't told him. He got the hint and gave her a slight shake of his head. Lyra clenched her fists inside her pockets.  
  
Emily didn't notice the silent exchange between the two. She did notice the Crushes on the coffee table and the TV, which was now playing an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond. "Lyra, would you like to stick around for dinner? We're having lasagne!"  
  
Lyra frowned. "Lasagne?"  
  
Emily glanced at Will, as if thinking that perhaps Lyra wasn't that smart. "You know, layers of pasta with tomato sauce and cheese?"  
  
Lyra suddenly recognized the dish, which was from Italia and was a rare treat in her world. "Oh, of course! We call it larkspane where I come from."  
  
Emily beamed. "Excellent! I'll start making it. Will, could you make a salad, please?"  
  
"Actually, hon, can I talk to Lyra for a few minutes, please?" Will asked. "Salads don't take that long anyway."  
  
Emily frowned, and then shrugged. "I guess so."  
  
Will drew Lyra into a corner of the living room by her elbow and whispered, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. . .it was my wedding that I was at on Midsummer's Day. I didn't want to let you know just then, while we were both so happy. . .but I guess it had to come out sooner or later, and we did agree that we would marry other people. I'm so sorry, Lyra."  
  
Lyra looked at Will with a degree of hurt and pain in her eyes so deep that it felt like she was boring into him with a drill. "I know. . .but it hurts. I - " She glanced at the kitchen, and then said, "I can't stay here. You and Emily have a happy life." Swiftly she kissed him and then turned, running out the door with Pan still clinging to her shoulder.  
  
Will watched her go, feeling dead in his heart. Emily, who had turned around just in time to see Lyra kiss Will and run out the door, dropped the wooden spoon she was using to stir the pasta and stormed across the room. "So, it wasn't just a meeting with an old girlfriend, eh?" She slapped him across the face and left too, stomping into their bedroom and slamming the door hard. Will was left in the corner, alone but for Kirjava, and hating himself. He'd lost both the woman he loved and his wife, in the space of one minute.  
  
A/N Ok, so it did end with a cliffy, but not as bad as the rest were. Oh, and it was short.hehehe. I'm not the best long-chapter-making person. R/R! 


	10. Interlude

Interlude: This isn't a chapter, just an interlude. In response to some reviews: Someone – Will and Lyra promised each other at the end of The Amber Spyglass that if they met someone they liked, they would marry them and be good to them even though they wanted each other. Remember, they thought they'd never see each other again. And Emily's sensitive because she saw her husband kissing a woman that he'd said was just an old friend. Wouldn't you be, if your husband/wife did that? Mistimystiq – Was it supposed to be? Mistress of Magic – Ooh, good idea, I'd forgotten about the witches. If I didn't mention anyone else, I say to all of you, thanks for taking the time to review! Now, this interlude is basically to ask if you guys think I should really continue with this. I have some good ideas for the future, but as always I'm having a heck of a time working up to that point. So do you want to see more? Send me a review or an email and let me know. 


	11. Second Interlude

Interlude: YES, I am alive, and YES, I am going to continue with the fic. I've just been somewhat swamped lately, but I decided to just go ahead and let y'all know that this will be continued as soon as I get around to it. :-D A note to some reviewers: Death-resurrected: Again, Will and Lyra did promise each other that if they met someone they liked, they would marry them. Although why Will would choose to marry Emily is beyond even me, but that's the way it played out. Katla: Emily's very domineering (and ditzy) and frankly, Will's just doing it to please her. Coolcatjenny: Hehe, I don't want to give away the ending.but let me say that I'm sick of writing clichés, so we may not see one this time. 


	12. Now What?

A/n Before you read this, let it be known that I (unfortunately) do not own Lyra, Will, Mary Malone, Pantalaimon, Kirjava, and everyone. The only people I own are Sarika and Emily. As well, I know that most people are looking for funny HDM fics, but I am not good at making funny fics, so this is the best thing I can come up with.  
  
It is ten years after Will and Lyra said goodbye in the Botanic Garden. Lyra joined Dame Hannah's boarding school, where she learned all the scientific things about Dust, and where she studied the alethiometer in her spare time. She met many girls at the school, and became quite good friends with Sarika Spires and her daemon, Kylona. When Lyra turned eighteen, she joined Dame Hannah's college, St. Sophia's, on a scholarship to study the alethiometer full-time. By the time Lyra was twenty-one, she could read the alethiometer with only a little help from the books, and now, at age twenty-three, she can answer a short question in ten to fifteen minutes and a more complicated one in about half an hour. She has graduated from the college and now lives near Jordan College with Sarika.  
  
Will went to live with Mary Malone and her daemon, Temiral, in a flat near a large secondary school. He made many good friends at the school, although some people avoided him because of his mutilated left hand. Mary took a job at a nearby college, teaching students about Dust and what Lyra would call experimental theology. Mary earned enough money to get Will's mother medical care, but it wasn't enough, and when Will was sixteen, she died. Will sank into a depression for nearly four months, but the prospect of learning to drive brought him out of it. (A/N That is a very lame excuse for coming out of a depression, esp. for Will, but it's the best I can come up with () When Will turned eighteen, he went to university, where he studied architecture. While there, he met Emily McArthur, who was studying anthropology, and they began to date, although Will never felt the same way about her as he did Lyra. At age twenty-three, Will asked Emily to marry him, and she accepted. They moved into an apartment about fifteen minutes away from Mary, if you walked, and preparations for the wedding are in progress.  
  
Chapter 1: The Barrier is Planned  
  
(A/N Don't own anyone but Sarika, her daemon, and Emily. And all the unnamed daemons' names. I meant to post this about a week ago, but.I didn't. This chapter also really sucks and was much better when I made it up a week ago, but I forgot it. It's all dialogue and not much happens, but it's kind of crucial.)  
  
At about four o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon in late May, if one living on Rosebud Avenue, Oxford, had chanced to glance out their window at the left-hand side of the street, they would have seen a man in his early twenties walking down the sidewalk. He was wearing a pair of faded black jeans and a blue denim work shirt, and slung over his right shoulder was a leather jacket. If the person looking out the window had X-ray vision and could see right through the man to his left hand, they'd have seen that his ring and little finger were both missing. At his side, unseen to anyone, was a large cat in all shades of black and purple.  
  
The man walked into the building and bounded up the stairs two at a time, ignoring the elevator. As he approached Flat 508, he reached into his pocket for his key ring, searching for a specific one. He unlocked and opened the door and stepped inside, looking around for Mary.  
  
Dr. Mary Malone walked out of the kitchen, her Alpine chough daemon, Temiral, fluttering behind her. "Will! This is certainly a surprise! I didn't expect you to visit until tomorrow."  
  
"Something came up," Will replied with a shrug. "Is this a bad time?"  
  
"Oh, no, not at all. I was just making tea. Do you want some?"  
  
Will nodded and sat down on the sofa, looking around. He'd only moved out a few months ago, and the flat hadn't changed at all. The TV was still in an awkward position to the couch, the stereo was still in the kitchen, and the tops of tables and shelves were dusty. He smiled at that - he always had to remind Mary to dust the place. The flat was laid out simply - the living room/dining room was what you entered into when you came in. The kitchen was just behind the dining room, and the only things separating it from the living room were two rows of counters set at a 90-degree angle to each other. Past the kitchen was the hall, which opened onto the bathroom, Mary's bedroom, and the room that had been Will's.  
  
Mary returned with a tray carrying two cups and saucers, a bowl of sugar and a little jug of milk, as well as a teapot. She set it down and sat across from him.  
  
"So have you and Emily set a date yet?"  
  
Will shook his head. "No. We're trying, but everything that one of us suggests isn't good for the other. June is a bad month to marry in, but Emily has wanted a June wedding for years."  
  
Mary was about to say something when the phone in the kitchen rang loudly. Jumping up to get it, Mary nearly spilled her tea, and Will had to dive across the table to catch it.  
  
"Hello? Yes - just a moment, please.Will, it's for you!" Mary whispered, covering the mouthpiece.  
  
Will frowned and stood up, walking into the kitchen and taking the phone from Mary. Who could it be? Everyone knew he'd moved out, and Mary hadn't mentioned any other calls for him before. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Will! It's me! I have the perfect date!" The cheery voice on the other end of the phone belonged to his fiancée, Emily McArthur.  
  
"Date? What da - oh, for the wedding! What is it?"  
  
"June twenty-first! You know, what old-fashioned people call Midsummer's Day! Don't you think that would be neat? So romantic!"  
  
Will's heart began to sink. That was his day to go to the Botanic Garden! What would Lyra think if he wasn't there? He knew from experience that if you concentrated really hard, you could feel the faintest presence of the other person, and if Lyra couldn't feel that presence, she'd think he'd ditched her. He couldn't do that to her, even though he hadn't seen her in ten years. She was still his first, and strongest, love, and not even Emily knew about her. He'd tried to tell her once, when she asked why he was missing two fingers, but when he'd started, she'd laughed and told him to quit making things up.  
  
"Will? You there?" Emily asked, sounded worried.  
  
"Oh.yeah, I'm here."  
  
"Don't you like that? It's perfect!"  
  
"Oh.well, can't we have it the day after?"  
  
"Why would we do that? Midsummer's Day is good, and the day after would just.I don't know, be wrong! Besides, you know we won't come up with anything else that works out."  
  
"Well.all right." Will said, thinking that perhaps he could make it so that the wedding was after noon, after his hour with Lyra.  
  
"I was thinking that we could have the wedding in the morning, then make the reception a luncheon! The guests would have lunch and then.do whatever you do at a reception, be sociable, I guess. It's all working out so perfectly! I can't believe we never thought of it before!"  
  
Will's heart hit rock bottom.  
  
Chapter 2: Lyra Meets The Barrier  
  
(A/N Don't own anyone but Emily and Sarika. You've heard this before. Sorry for the long absence, I'm working on another fic right now.)  
  
Lyra Silvertongue, graduate of St. Sophia's college and reader of the alethiometer, opened the door to the flat she shared with Sarika, her best friend, and flopped down into a chair, feeling bone-tired. She'd been reading the alethiometer all day as part of the small truth-telling business she had set up, and she was exhausted. Her pine marten daemon, Pantalaimon, flowed up the chair beside her.  
  
"Look on the bright side, Lyra. Tomorrow's Midsummer's Day, and it's when we spend an hour in the Botanic Garden with Will and Kirjava. You have to be happy about that."  
  
Lyra nodded. "I am happy. It's just that, I never thought reading the alethiometer like this would make me so tired. It used to be so easy before!"  
  
"You've said that hundreds of times, and we both knew when we decided to keep doing it that it would be hard. Just think of tomorrow."  
  
As Lyra was about to respond, the door opened again and Sarika and her sparrow daemon, Kylona, came in. Sarika took one look at Lyra's tired face and grinned. "At the books again, Lyra?"  
  
Lyra sighed. "Of course."  
  
Sarika told Lyra pretty much the same thing as Pan had, to lighten up. Unlike Emily, Sarika knew about Lyra's adventures, as Lyra's world had been hit far worse than Will's by the changes.  
  
That night, Lyra lay in bed, with a tired smile on her face. Only a few more hours before her time in the Garden with Will.in a way.  
  
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Will stood at the altar under an arch of flowers. The day of his wedding to Emily had come, and he was a nervous wreck. Not just because he was getting married, but also because he was worried he wouldn't make the garden. He planned to slip away from the reception for at least half an hour, so he could be with Lyra for a while, but he wasn't sure if he'd make it.  
  
Emily appeared out of nowhere and started down the long aisle. Will jolted back to reality. He looked at the bridesmaids, surprised that they'd already come down the aisle. The organ was playing, and Will surreptitiously wiped his sweaty hands on his tuxedo.  
  
Emily made it to the altar, a huge smile on her face, and the minister began the vows. The wedding went smoothly, and as Will and Emily started back down the aisle, Will carefully glanced at the watch he'd hid under his sleeve. Eleven-fifteen.  
  
Spying Mary in the front row, he hoped she remembered the plan. Just to be sure, he sent Kirjava, who was trotting calmly at his side, to talk to her daemon, Temiral. The two daemons conversed for a few minutes, and then Kirjava hurried back to him. She informed him that Mary remembered what to do, and Will stepped into the limo that would take them to the reception hall, only a little more content than before.  
  
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Lyra sat on the bench in the garden, eyes closed, feeling the sun on her face. A clock tower nearby tolled the noon hour, and she waited to feel Will's comforting presence. Concentrating hard, she sat in silence, hearing only the faintest rustle of leaves and feet walking along the paths, paying no attention to the woman on the bench.  
  
Lyra waited fifteen minutes, but didn't feel Will. Perhaps he was a little late, she concluded, and sat contently, still searching for his presence. Ten minutes later, he still wasn't there. Twenty minutes after that, no Will. Lyra waited the entire hour, but Will never came.  
  
Finally opening her eyes, Lyra winced at the sun in her eyes, but didn't pay it much attention. Will had forgotten to come! In ten years, neither of them had missed a meeting with the other. Ever. And now he had forgotten. He had snubbed her.  
  
Getting up, Lyra stormed angrily out of the garden, Pan stalking just as furiously on her heels.  
  
(A/N So.the plot thickens. R/R and I'll continue with it. What happened to Will? What will Lyra think of him? Tune in next time!)  
  
Chapter 3: Angel's Visit  
  
Will lay in bed that night, listening to Emily's heavy breathing beside him and mentally hitting himself in the head. He'd tried throughout the whole reception to escape for an hour, but wherever he turned, someone was always there to congratulate him or want him to make a toast. Emily following him like a lost puppy hadn't helped either. Mary had tried to create a diversion, but it had gone unnoticed, and Will had missed his entire hour. He wondered how Lyra had felt. Probably horrible. And there was no way to make it up to her.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
At the exact same time, in an Oxford very much like Will's, Lyra was also lying awake. Her fury still hadn't cooled down, despite Sarika's attempts to cheer her up. She still couldn't understand where Will had been. She couldn't imagine anything too important that could keep him from coming. She certainly had given up many special things over the years in order to make that noon hour meeting.  
  
Lyra rolled over, shutting her eyes tightly and trying to fall asleep, but sleep wouldn't come. She flipped onto her back again and sighed.  
  
A glow near her window caught her attention. Sitting up, she watched the glow grow and solidify into a female angel. Impossibly tall and beautiful, the angel smiled at Lyra.  
  
"You have grown since I last saw you, Lyra. I have come to give you important news."  
  
Lyra recognized her. This was Xaphania, the angel she had met so long ago. "What is it?"  
  
"You remember that we said we would close all the windows that were made over the years, even those not made by the subtle knife?"  
  
Lyra nodded. How could she forget?  
  
"I and some others of my kind have been searching for and closing windows here in your Oxford. We found one, directly above a clock tower, that was not made by the subtle knife, and therefore does not leak Dust. Although we said we would close all the windows, and that you were not to look for one, I saw this one and thought of how you and Will were forced to part so long ago. You know you cannot live in his world, and he cannot live in yours, but this at least enables you to see him again."  
  
Lyra sat straight up in bed, her earlier anger completely forgotten. "I could.I could see Will again?"  
  
Xaphania nodded. "But I must warn you, Lyra, that things will not be the same for either of you. They cannot be."  
  
Lyra shrugged this off. "Of course not. We've both grown older, haven't we? Things are bound to have changed."  
  
Xaphania shook her head sadly. She wanted to tell Lyra why things had changed more than Lyra could ever dream, but she could not. Lyra must find out for herself. "If you wish to find this window, Lyra, it is atop the clock tower near the Botanic Garden. It is very dangerous to reach."  
  
Lyra shrugged again. "Whatever it takes. I will see Will again."  
  
Xaphania nodded sadly. "As I knew you would. Goodbye, Lyra. Perhaps we will meet again." The angel vanished.  
  
A/N Next chapter up soon.if you R/R!  
  
Chapter 4: Climbing the Clock Tower  
  
A/N Wow. . .I got 7 reviews for that one chapter, and 3 in one day! Don't own anybody but Sarika, Emily, and the names for the nameless daemons.  
  
Lyra lay in bed for about five minutes after Xaphania had departed, trying to make herself wait until morning before she went to the clock tower, but her excitement was too great. Tossing back the covers, she rolled out of bed. Pan looked at her, blinking.  
  
"This is foolish, Lyra. You won't be able to see a thing in the dark, and you know that the stairs stop many feet below the top of the clock tower. You'll fall and we'll die."  
  
Lyra sighed. "I know it's foolish, Pan, but I can't wait. You want to see them again as much as I do!"  
  
Pan gave up trying to be the voice of reason. He knew that nothing would sway Lyra once she had her mind set, and he had to admit she was right.  
  
That settled the matter in Lyra's mind. Standing, she swiftly changed into warm clothes and headed for the clock tower.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Half an hour later, Lyra stood at the top of the stairs to the clock tower, which opened onto a balcony surrounding the whole thing. The very peak of the tower was several yards above her head.  
  
Pan stood on the railing, leaning back as far as he dared to see the peak. "It's too high, Lyra! We can't make it!"  
  
"Pan, this is far less dangerous than some things we've done before. Stop being a chicken." With that, Lyra gripped the bricks in both hands and began to climb. In the old days of climbing roofs at Jordan College, this would have been almost nothing to Lyra, but she hadn't climbed a roof since coming back from her adventures, and that had been ten years ago. She still remembered some things, like to keep her body close to the wall.  
  
Lyra struggled up the first few metres, and then reached the bottom of the clock face. The numbers were large and brass, screwed into the white face, and the brass hands pointed to 5:05. The eastern sky was growing pink, and the city was beginning to stir. She'd have to make this fast, before anyone saw her and reported the crazy lady to the police.  
  
Climbing the clock face was a bit easier. Setting her foot inside the 6, she reached up, straining to grab the circle in the middle that held the hands. Grasping it tightly, she tried to pull herself up, her legs flailing for more holds. Pan sat on her shoulder, gripping it in his claws. Lyra's foot caught on the 5 and she reached for the minute hand, which was approaching the 3. Pulling herself onto that, she climbed onto the 2, and then the 1, and finally was standing on the raised edge of the face. Now all she had to do was get to the peak, and the window would be there.  
  
The roof was easier to climb, being as it was sloped. She made quick work of that, and then finally stood on the very top. The streets below were beginning to fill with people on their way to work, and the sun was clearing the horizon. She walked all around the peak, looking for the window, but couldn't see anything. Finally, she looked up, and saw it hovering above her head. Carefully, she tried grasping the edges with her fingers, and jumped. Pan flowed over her head inside and dropped to an identical peak below, with Lyra awkwardly following. Within seconds, they sat on the rooftop in Will's Oxford.  
  
"Now all we have to do is get down!" Lyra said, frowning. It took a while, but finally the woman and daemon stood on the balcony once more. Without a word, they took off down the stairs and into the city, the mission of finding Will clear in their minds.  
  
A/N Yet another cliffhanger. . .how will Lyra find Will? Does he know that she's coming? And what will her reaction to Emily be?  
  
Chapter 5: Finding Mary  
  
A/N: Disclaimer, disclaimer . . .don't own anyone. Yes, I am finally updating! To all the reviewers who said Emily is a ditz, or is getting the wrong impression on her, that's the point! You're not supposed to like her! She was supposed to be a bit smarter and a bit more appealing to readers, but character development didn't turn out that way. I myself am an avid W/L fan!  
  
At this time, Will was lying asleep in the apartment he shared with Emily. He'd finally managed to fall asleep at 3:30 am, and was still out cold, but thankfully, today was a Saturday and he didn't have any classes. Emily did, and had left around 6.  
  
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"Pan?" Lyra whispered. "How on earth are we going to find Will in the city? I don't know where he lives or where Dr. Malone lives . . .do you think he is still staying with her?"  
  
"Ask the alethiometer, silly. Why don't you ever think of these things?"  
  
Lyra hadn't thought of the alethiometer. It was sitting, wrapped in black velvet, in her rucksack (a different one from before). She quickly took off for the Botanic Garden for a comfortable place to sit, found a bench, and sat on it, tucking her hair behind her ears and bending over the alethiometer. She set the hands, a little slower than she once could, and waited for the message to come into her mind. Where can I find Will or Dr. Malone?  
  
The alethiometer answered, but it took Lyra a few minutes to understand what it meant. Finally she had it. Left twice and round a bend, up five stories and down eight doors will you find Dr. Mary Malone. Will is found minutes away.  
  
Nothing else came. Lyra couldn't tell from this where Will was, and she had a feeling that the alethiometer was playing a trick on her, as it seemed to do sometimes. Still, she followed its directions to Dr. Malone's flat, getting lost a few times, but finally she stood at Flat 508. Rapping a little shyly on the door, she waited until Dr. Malone opened it.  
  
"May I help you?" Mary said curiously, looking for a clipboard or a box, something that would give this woman away as a canvasser or a delivery lady.  
  
"Dr. Malone?" Lyra said in barely more than a whisper.  
  
"Yes, that's me. What is it - oh my God," Mary exclaimed, suddenly recognizing the voice and the pine marten peering over the woman's shoulder. "God be praised . . .Lyra? No, it can't possibly be you - "  
  
"Yes," Lyra cut her off in midsentence. "It's Lyra, and Pantalaimon. We've come to see Will."  
  
Mary could hardly believe it. Ushering Pan and Lyra inside while rubbing her temples to make sure she wasn't hallucinating, she sat them down and bade them tell the story. Lyra explained it all, from yesterday in the garden to climbing the tower to now. When it was all over, Mary leaned back on the couch with a thump. "Dear Lord . . .this is not good. Lyra, there's something I have to tell you - "  
  
Lyra cut her off again. "I know, I know, things won't be the same. Xaphania told me that too. But I know what I'm doing, and I will find him, no matter what's different."  
  
Mary groaned, but Lyra was a stubborn person, and she knew Lyra would refuse to hear what it was. She had a feeling that deep down, Lyra already knew, but was not accepting it.  
  
Mary gave Lyra directions to Will's flat, leaving out the fact that it was now Will and Emily's flat. Lyra took them, thanked Mary and said she'd be by to visit soon, and then quickly left, taking the stairs rather than the elevator. Mary peered out of her window and saw Lyra jogging swiftly down the road, Pan keeping pace with her easily. Sighing, Mary turned and leaned against the wall. "The poor child," she whispered, not caring that Lyra was twenty-three now. "She'll just have to find out on her own."  
  
A/N: I was going to write more, but I'm lazy and don't feel like it right now. R/R and more is to come!  
  
Chapter Six: Troubling Thoughts  
  
A/N: Yay, an update! And finally, the answer to the evil cliffy! Hehehe . . .as usual, don't own anyone except Emily, Sarika, and the names for the unnamed daemons. Oh, and in this chapter, Lyra and Pan probably seem a bit distant from each other, and not like they're the same person, but I haven't actually read HDM in a long time, so I've somewhat forgotten how daemons are.  
  
Lyra jogged down the road, legs still as strong and quick as they had been ten years ago. Her eyes saw the sidewalk in front of her, and the everyday people absentmindedly moving out of her way, but her mind saw Will, only Will. She felt, in her heart, Pan's identical feelings, for Kirjava.  
  
As Lyra jogged, she felt an uneasy feeling growing in her stomach. Nervousness, perhaps? But why would she be nervous at seeing Will again? Shaking her head to clear those thoughts away, she slowed to a walk. A tiny voice inside her head laughed, a tinny little sound. You can't possibly be expecting things to be the same, Lyra. You know they've changed - you just can't accept it.  
  
Be quiet, Lyra told the voice furiously. I've accepted it - I told Xaphania so! It's been ten years, so of course some things will have changed.  
  
But, perhaps they've changed more that you're willing to comprehend, the voice said in an evil, but wise tone. Angrily, Lyra slammed a mental wall between her conscious and the voice. Of course they've changed. I've accepted that. I HAVE!  
  
Pan, at the same time, was going through a similar experience, but, being Lyra's calmer, more rational side, he treated the voice differently. Rather than yell at it, he tried to reason with the voice, which was rather stupid, since he was only reasoning with himself. Even so, both Lyra and her daemon arrived at Will's flat in uneasy moods.  
  
At this point, Will was sitting on his couch, feet propped up on the coffee table, idly watching a rerun of Friends that he'd seen about six times, and sipping the vile herbal tea that Emily made him drink. He preferred coffee, but his wife the health nut didn't buy it, and somehow, if he bought it, she'd manage to find it and give it away.  
  
As Monica and Phoebe dashed down into their apartment's basement searching for Ross's lost monkey, the doorbell rang, shakily, as if whoever was ringing it didn't know quite how it worked. This was followed by a series of chimes, as the ringer eagerly pressed the button again and again to see if she could figure out how it worked. Muting the TV, Will stood up and walked over to the door, calling over the din that he was coming.  
  
He pulled open the door, to find a tall woman with golden blonde hair about to ring the bell again. A reddish pine marten peered over her shoulder, clearly very fascinated. Will, however, just about fainted. Unlike Mary, he instantly recognized the person at the door.  
  
"Lyra?" He barely managed to voice the words. "Is. . .that you?"  
  
A/N *giggles evilly* You know, I was going to continue with that chapter, but I prefer to leave it at the most suspending cliffy yet. R/R and you'll find out what happens next!  
  
Chapter 7: Running Headlong  
  
A/N YAY an update to the evil cliffy! This is a nice, long chapter that really gets into the plot, so I hope you all enjoy it! R/R!  
  
Lyra jumped as the door opened, finger poised over the funny little button that made the dinging sound. Pan, who was as interested as she, jumped too, nearly falling off her shoulder. Lyra grabbed her daemon, at the instant that Will stuttered out, "Lyra? Is. . .that you?"  
  
Lyra looked at Will, really looked. He was as handsome as she remembered; tall and strong with the same black hair and jutting chin. Kirjava was behind him, peering around his right leg.  
  
For a moment, Lyra could say nothing, as her feelings of anxiety and wonder heightened to incredible levels. Now that she was actually here, standing before Will's door, seeing Will in person for the first time in over ten years, she could hardly believe it was real. Finally, she choked out, "Yes, Will. It's me, Lyra." In the background, sounds of yelling issued from the television as Phoebe jumped in front of a tranquilizer gun to protect Ross' monkey.  
  
"Oh my God," Will muttered, completely tuning out the TV. "Lyra, how the hell did you get here? Why are you here?"  
  
Lyra didn't answer for a moment, as her attention shifted to the television. "What . . .what's that box, with the moving pictures?"  
  
Will glanced behind him. "Oh, that's a television. It's . . .something we use for entertainment. Why don't you, uh, come inside?" He stepped away from the door to allow her to enter, still shaking his head and feeling like he was hallucinating. Lyra walked swiftly by him, and sat carefully on the couch, watching the TV in fascination.  
  
"D'you want a Coke or anything?" Will asked nervously, and then remembered they didn't have any Coke, only decaffeinated pops like Orange Crush.  
  
Lyra, remembering what Coke was, twisted around to peer into the kitchen. "Coke? That's the fizzy drink with the bubbles, right? The one with the tab that you have to pop up to open?"  
  
Will nodded. "That's the one. We - I mean, I - don't have any Cokes, but we - crap, I - have some Orange Crush. It's still fizzy, but it tastes like oranges." He handed her the can. After a few moments of fiddling with the tab, she figured out how to open it, and began to sip gingerly. "Mmm! That's good!"  
  
Will took a Crush for himself and sat down beside her. They both drank in silence for a few moments, before Will asked shyly, "Um, Lyra? How exactly did you get here?"  
  
Lyra looked at him, and then, without a moment's hesitation, launched into her story, beginning at when she had waited for him in the Gardens. As she finished that portion of the story, she frowned and stopped in mid- sentence. "Why weren't you at the Gardens that day, Will? I waited for over an hour."  
  
In the split second of silence that followed, Will was torn. Should he tell her about Emily? Perhaps she knew already . . .no, knowing Lyra, she would have said something. But . . .he didn't want to spoil this amazing moment of joy that he could see her again. Finally, he said, "Oh, I had to attend something else. A wedding, very important." There, it wasn't a lie. He'd just left parts out, that was all.  
  
Lyra frowned, and then nodded slowly. "Okay then . . .well, anyway - " and she continued with her story, ending with when she had knocked on his door. When she finished, Will leaned back, tilting his head towards the ceiling and closing his eyes. He couldn't believe it. Xaphania had found a window, so close to them . . .they'd only been an hour's travel away from each other, for all those years. So close, and yet so far away.  
  
Lyra was thinking the same thing, but finally, she turned to Will and said, "Oh, Will, it'll all work out now! The window's real close - we can just go back and forth between the worlds, and it won't make us sick. And since the window isn't made with the knife, it can stay open forever, and ever!" Full of joy that her dreams, her longing, had finally come true, she laughed with mirth.  
  
Will wasn't so happy. The prospect was wonderful, and there was nothing he wanted more than to do simply that, but there was a problem.  
  
And at that moment, the problem presented itself to the world. The door opened, a foot stepped in, and a clear voice called out, "Will, dear! I'm home!"  
  
A/N Yay another cliffy to keep everyone guessing! R/R, and we'll see Lyra's reaction to Emily, and vice-versa.  
  
Chapter 8: Lyra, Emily, and Will  
  
A/N Ooh, an update. Lyra and Emily finally come face-to-face, and this chapter will hopefully be a bit longer and sans-cliffy. Same old disclaimer, don't own anyone but Emily and Sarika.  
  
Lyra spun around, Pan nearly falling off her shoulder, as Emily entered the flat and hung up her coat on the stand. The woman didn't turn, and thus didn't see the strange blonde standing next to her husband. "I am so tired, I had the craziest day. Y'know that one professor I have, Professor Spitzner? He is such a jerk, he actually gave me a seventy-two on that paper I did! You know how hard I worked on. . .that. . ." For Emily had just turned around and had seen an unknown woman with blonde hair and a weasel sitting on her shoulder standing next to Will. "Uh. . .Will, is this a friend of yours?"  
  
Will glanced at Lyra and then back at his surprised wife. Lyra wasn't saying anything, only staring at Emily as the pieces fell into place. In reply to Emily's query, Will replied, after a moment, "Yeah, I guess she is. Well, actually, she's an. . .old girlfriend of mine that I ran into on the street today. I haven't seen her since the tenth year and we decided to, you know, catch up."  
  
Lyra stared at Will and was about to ask what a girlfriend was when Emily replied, in a condescending voice as if she was talking to a small child, "Oh, well that's nice, isn't it? I'm Emily Parry, Will's wife. What's your name?" She smiled and put out her left hand. The wedding band on her third finger was impossible to miss.  
  
Lyra glanced at the hand and carefully put hers out, saying slowly, "Lyra Silvertongue." She left it at that, shaking Emily's hand quickly and then pulling away and shoving her own hands in her pockets. It took a great deal of effort not to wipe her hand on her skirt. So that's what Xaphania meant about how things have changed, and why Mary was so uncomfortable. . .I know Will and I agreed that we could marry someone else, but why didn't they tell me? Why didn't Will tell me? I was all excited, because it seemed like everything would work out, and now it's wrecked. She glanced at Will meaningfully, trying to tell him with her eyes that she was upset and angry that she hadn't told him. He got the hint and gave her a slight shake of his head. Lyra clenched her fists inside her pockets.  
  
Emily didn't notice the silent exchange between the two. She did notice the Crushes on the coffee table and the TV, which was now playing an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond. "Lyra, would you like to stick around for dinner? We're having lasagne!"  
  
Lyra frowned. "Lasagne?"  
  
Emily glanced at Will, as if thinking that perhaps Lyra wasn't that smart. "You know, layers of pasta with tomato sauce and cheese?"  
  
Lyra suddenly recognized the dish, which was from Italia and was a rare treat in her world. "Oh, of course! We call it larkspane where I come from."  
  
Emily beamed. "Excellent! I'll start making it. Will, could you make a salad, please?"  
  
"Actually, hon, can I talk to Lyra for a few minutes, please?" Will asked. "Salads don't take that long anyway."  
  
Emily frowned, and then shrugged. "I guess so."  
  
Will drew Lyra into a corner of the living room by her elbow and whispered, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. . .it was my wedding that I was at on Midsummer's Day. I didn't want to let you know just then, while we were both so happy. . .but I guess it had to come out sooner or later, and we did agree that we would marry other people. I'm so sorry, Lyra."  
  
Lyra looked at Will with a degree of hurt and pain in her eyes so deep that it felt like she was boring into him with a drill. "I know. . .but it hurts. I - " She glanced at the kitchen, and then said, "I can't stay here. You and Emily have a happy life." Swiftly she kissed him and then turned, running out the door with Pan still clinging to her shoulder.  
  
Will watched her go, feeling dead in his heart. Emily, who had turned around just in time to see Lyra kiss Will and run out the door, dropped the wooden spoon she was using to stir the pasta and stormed across the room. "So, it wasn't just a meeting with an old girlfriend, eh?" She slapped him across the face and left too, stomping into their bedroom and slamming the door hard. Will was left in the corner, alone but for Kirjava, and hating himself. He'd lost both the woman he loved and his wife, in the space of one minute.  
  
A/N Ok, so it did end with a cliffy, but not as bad as the rest were. Oh, and it was short.hehehe. I'm not the best long-chapter-making person. R/R!  
  
Interlude: This isn't a chapter, just an interlude. In response to some reviews: Someone - Will and Lyra promised each other at the end of The Amber Spyglass that if they met someone they liked, they would marry them and be good to them even though they wanted each other. Remember, they thought they'd never see each other again. And Emily's sensitive because she saw her husband kissing a woman that he'd said was just an old friend. Wouldn't you be, if your husband/wife did that? Mistimystiq - Was it supposed to be? Mistress of Magic - Ooh, good idea, I'd forgotten about the witches. If I didn't mention anyone else, I say to all of you, thanks for taking the time to review! Now, this interlude is basically to ask if you guys think I should really continue with this. I have some good ideas for the future, but as always I'm having a heck of a time working up to that point. So do you want to see more?  
  
Interlude: YES, I am alive, and YES, I am going to continue with the fic. I've just been somewhat swamped lately, but I decided to just go ahead and let y'all know that this will be continued as soon as I get around to it. :-D A note to some reviewers: Death-resurrected: Again, Will and Lyra did promise each other that if they met someone they liked, they would marry them. Although why Will would choose to marry Emily is beyond even me, but that's the way it played out. Katla: Emily's very domineering (and ditzy) and frankly, Will's just doing it to please her. Coolcatjenny: Hehe, I don't want to give away the ending.but let me say that I'm sick of writing clichés, so we may not see one this time.  
  
Chapter 9: Now What?  
  
A/N Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack. I am VERY sorry that it's taken this long to continue the fic. I would have done so over the holidays, but I was in Europe and didn't have any computer access besides a few days in cyber- cafes. Anyway, it's finally being continued.  
  
Lyra ran down the stairs, ignoring the elevator once again, and burst out of the apartment building, nearly blind with tears. The rational part of her said that she shouldn't be surprised, that they had made that promise when they departed ten years ago, that Xaphania and Mary had hinted at this. . .but it hurt. Oh, how it hurt.  
  
Lyra kept running, paying no mind to the passers-by that gave her odd looks, or to where she was going. In the end, she found that she had come to the Botanic Garden of Will's world, looking as always almost exactly like hers, but some of the flowers were purple instead of yellow, or there was a tree here where there was only a shrub there. Still, her bench was in the same place, and she sat down upon it, still crying silently. Pan wound himself around her neck and rubbed his face against hers soothingly.  
  
Eventually Lyra calmed down enough to speak clearly. "Oh Pan, why didn't anyone tell us? Why didn't Xaphania or Mary?"  
  
"I don't know," Pan replied honestly, although it had been a rhetorical question.  
  
"What do we do now?" Lyra asked her palms. "Where do we go from here?"  
  
"Back to Mary's," Pan replied sensibly. "She did say we could visit, and she probably knew what was going to happen when we saw Will."  
  
Lyra nodded slowly - it was the next logical step. She stood and brushed off her skirt, and settled Pan on her shoulder. Trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in her chest, she set off for Mary's.  
  
* * *  
  
"Emily?" Will called through the wood door of their bedroom.  
  
"Go away," Emily's shaky voice said through the door. It sounded as if she'd been crying.  
  
"Emily, please, I can explain!" How he could explain while still leaving out that Lyra wasn't from this world he didn't know, but he'd think of something.  
  
"What's to explain?" Emily's voice was bitter and cold. "You were kissing that Liar woman or whatever her name is. It's pretty clear what was going on."  
  
"Look," Will protested. "Here's the truth. Lyra and I met when we were twelve. We. . .went through a lot together, and then fell in love, but we couldn't live near each other. It was only just now that Lyra found a way to see me again. She didn't know I was married and she thought things could go on like they were before. She kissed me and then left! I didn't kiss her!" That was all entirely true. He hadn't kissed Lyra back - it had been too quick for that.  
  
Not that he hadn't wanted to.  
  
"You lied, then! You told me she was just an old friend that you hadn't seen for years!"  
  
"That was the truth!" Will replied, feeling his temper start to fray. "We started out just being friends - if you'll believe me, we started out disliking each other."  
  
Emily was silent. Will waited, leaning against the wall. Finally, she said, "Can you maybe leave the flat for a few hours? I need to think for a bit."  
  
Will sighed and ran the two remaining fingers on his left hand through his hair. Kirjava, who was twining around his feet comfortingly, glanced up at him and said quietly, "We should do as she asks, Will. Maybe go visit Mary or something." 


	13. Realisations

Chapter 10: Realisations  
  
A/N Thanks to all my reviewers! A note to a few of you:  
  
Eowyn: I have no idea why Will married Emily. She wasn't supposed to come off as such a perky idiot.  
  
SavetheSqUiRrEls: Will couldn't tell Lyra he was married. Lyra just assumed that everything would work out, and neither Xaphania nor Mary told her otherwise before she got too excited. Her reaction to Emily was mostly shock - if she had calmed down a little, she wouldn't have been so angry or hurt. As to the Republic of Heaven - Lyra's first step in that was learning how to read the alethiometer again. Pullman didn't really specify /how/ they were going to build this Republic, and I haven't read HDM for a while, but the sense I got was that the Republic wasn't going to be /quite/ real - the Kingdom of Heaven itself wasn't a real place either, not the way the Authority's Mountain was. I took it as being more of a symbol for the Authority's power and ultimate control - the Republic would be a symbol of peace, freedom to believe and act the way one wanted to, rather than the way the Church demanded they act. By leading their lives normally, but still trying to act in that way, Lyra and Will had started to build the Republic. They're also only in their early twenties - they still have their whole lives ahead of them. Hopefully that made a semblance of sense; I will try to get a mention of that in this chapter. And about the angels' way of travelling - Xaphania told them that that way of travelling wouldn't truly be physically real - somewhat like pretending, but not really. Lyra and Will unknowingly have taken the first step by being able to faintly feel the other's presence when they're together in the Botanic Garden, at least the way I see it. None of my explanations of Pullman's unfinished threads are canon according to him - it's just the way I chose to read the story and to write it. And that was a very long paragraph.  
  
Anyway.now on with Chapter 10 of my little ficcy. Disclaimer is as usual. This chapter is fluff, mostly, but sometimes you gotta let off some steam.  
  
By the time Lyra got back to Mary's flat, it was nearly seven-thirty and she was starving. She had eaten nothing since the night before, in her world, and it seemed a lot longer. Walking up 5 flights of stairs did no help for her hunger or tiredness.  
  
She found Flat 508 with considerably less trouble than she had that morning, and pressed the little red chiming button. It seemed to act somewhat like a bell-pull, but she saw no bell that actually made the noise, nor any way the button was attached to it.  
  
Mary opened the door almost immediately, a vaguely irritated expression on her face. When she saw Lyra standing there, the irritation turned to surprise, and then to a most obvious wince. "Lyra . . . you're back." Her Alpine chough daemon on her shoulder ruffled its feathers and stared at Lyra with a beady black eye.  
  
"Yes, I am. Could we - Pan and I - maybe stay the night here? It's too late to go back to the window."  
  
"Um . . ." Mary glanced behind her, looking worried. "Well, there's a small problem with that -"  
  
The sounds of a toilet flushing issued from down the hall, and then the sound of a door being unlocked and opened. Lyra, standing on tiptoe to peer over the taller woman's shoulder, nearly turned on her heel and ran when she saw whom it was that had come out.  
  
Will was standing in the mouth of the hallway, only a few yards from Lyra and Mary, and he hadn't seen Lyra yet. Upon noticing Mary standing at the door, he came out into the living room and sat down somewhat dismally onto the sofa. "Who is it, Mary?"  
  
"See for yourself," Mary said, a little uncertainly, as she stepped to the side and let Lyra walk into the flat. Will twisted on the sofa, saw Lyra, and groaned, burying his face in his left hand. Lyra's heart was thumping in her chest, not all from nervousness.  
  
"Will?" she whispered, walking over to him slowly and kneeling by the couch. "Please - it's me - we need to talk." Mary wisely walked into her bedroom, firmly closing the door. They were alone.  
  
Will turned away. "I can't talk to you right now, Lyra. I just can't."  
  
"Then you never will," Lyra replied resolutely. "I'm leaving to go back to my Oxford tomorrow. You weren't a coward when I knew you, Will - has Emily changed you, somehow?" Her words were harsh, and she knew it, but the shock and pain of seeing Will with someone else had left a wound on her heart that hurt more than any physical pain.  
  
Will dropped his hand and turned to look at his love. "You didn't talk like that when I knew you, either."  
  
"Then we've both changed for the worse," Lyra retorted. "But if you don't let me say what I have to, then you must say good-bye and I'll be on my way. At least let me ask you something."  
  
Will sighed, and moved over to let her sit on the couch. She did so, perching awkwardly on the edge, as if she felt uncomfortable near him. /Lyra/, uncomfortable with him! His heart churned. Kirjava sat before him, betraying his emotions in the drooping of her tail, her obvious yearning to reach out to Pantalaimon on Lyra's shoulder.  
  
"I won't ask you why you married Emily. I can't see any reason why you would marry her - I know we both said that if we found someone we liked, we could marry him or her, but I never imagined you'd marry someone like her. But that's not what I want to say." The fire in Lyra's blue eyes was dulled by pain and tiredness. "I need to know - " Her voice caught, and she reached up unconsciously for Pan, who flowed into her hand. She held him close to her breast, and whispered, "Have you . . . have you been doing . . . what we promised the angels we would?"  
  
Will's hand moved of its own accord, reaching out to her, dying to touch her hands, her face, her lips. He drew it back, and regretted it when he saw the shocked hurt in her eyes and on her face. "Lyra . . . I . . ." In truth, he had been trying to do as they had promised - build the Republic of Heaven - but he didn't really know /how/ he was supposed to do that. To oppose the Church, he supposed - to oppose their domineering ways, build a belief in a Republic of freedom. "Yes . . . I have been trying."  
  
Lyra looked at him, eyes bright with tears she could not hold in any longer. They spilled over - tears of pain, tears of joy, tears of overwhelm, tears of love. "Oh Will . . . I never stopped loving, never stopped trying . . . not an hour went by when I didn't think of you, didn't try to recall your face, your hands, your voice . . . but I never stopped living my life. Please say you did the same . . . it's too much to ask for."  
  
Will found he couldn't hold on anymore. He reached out and took her into his arms - the small, shaking form, familiar even after ten years of absence. They sat there like that for a long time, before Lyra carefully pulled away.  
  
"I never stopped either," Will replied gently. "All during my wedding on Midsummer, I was wishing I could be there - I kept trying to escape, if only for a few minutes - a wedding is supposed to be something you can enjoy, but I was distant the whole time. . ." He ran out of things to say, and took her small hands in his. Lyra could feel the rough bumps where his last two fingers had once been - the skin was paler than the rest, a rough, knobbly scar tissue, but no longer red and throbbing as it had been when she had last seen it.  
  
"So. . . where do we go from here?" Lyra asked, afraid of the answer she knew was coming.  
  
Will looked away from her eyes. "There isn't much we can do, Lyra. Nothing has changed over the past ten years when it comes to. . .to living in each other's world. I don't know how you got into my world, but. . ."  
  
"It was a window. Not made by the knife, but a window nonetheless. Xaphania told me about it last night, but she said that it couldn't stay open for long. I have to go back soon. . .and. . .Will, you're married now. /Married/! I can't be around if you're married to someone else."  
  
They both knew she spoke the truth. Xaphania's gift had allowed them to see each other again. . .but it could not be permanent.  
  
"One more night," Will whispered. "One more night."  
  
"No." This time, the voice was not Lyra's but Pantalaimon's. "We cannot, no matter how much we want to. It will only make the parting - and there must be a parting - even harder."  
  
"I must leave tomorrow, Will," Lyra whispered, tears spilling onto her cheeks. "I can't stay any longer."  
  
Will didn't reply for a moment. He took Lyra into his arms and kissed her, a long, desperate, final kiss. Lyra gripped his denim shirt, knuckles turning white. Pan and Kirjava clung together, each with the other's claws digging into their furs.  
  
It hurt to pull away. But pull away they did, both faces wet with tears that weren't all their own. Then Will stood, brushing Lyra's face with his fingers, before turning and leaving the flat. Lyra watched him go, fighting the temptation to run after him.  
  
A/N Well. . .that was very final, wasn't it? I honestly didn't expect this chapter to be how it ended - I had a lot more ideas in mind for the story. Still. . .this may not be the real ending. So don't give up on me yet! I'm not one to end stories with fluffiness 


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